Rachel and JD

How We Met

JD and I met the summer before our freshman year of college. We were both involved in student leadership in high school and attended the same events, conferences, and camps. Our paths had crossed several times before we officially met as camp counselors the summer of 2012. We instantly connected when we found out we would be attending the same university in the fall. When the camp was over, we went our separate ways and did not reconnect until move-in day. We spent the week of orientation constantly texting, talking, and introducing our friends to one another. Every time we talked we found more and more things we had in common — our love of baseball, our belief in the importance of family, and beyond. Spending time with each other was easy and effortless. However, it wasn’t until the next summer that we decided to explore the possibility of having more than a friendship. JD and I had stayed friends during our first year of college but it wasn’t until that summer when a mutual friend urged me to call JD at a concert to say hi. JD picked up the phone and the rest is history. A few weeks later we went on our first official date to a minor league baseball game and he held my hand the entire drive home, with a smile and more effortless conversation. I remember thinking that I could do that drive for the rest of my life. That night we decided to give our relationship a shot at forever.

how they asked

JD and I love to travel together and with our careers, weekend trips have become our thing. We have always loved Chicago, as it was one of the very first vacation destinations we’ve traveled to together as a couple. We had planned to go to Chicago in August to celebrate our fifth anniversary. We packed our itinerary with a Cubs game, museums, and our favorite restaurants. On Saturday, August 25, we had a late dinner reservation but JD insisted on going to the Navy Pier before dinner. I wasn’t sure why JD wanted to go, as we had been to the Navy Pier before and this wasn’t on the original itinerary.

Despite my confusion, willingly I got into the Uber and we headed to the pier. When we got to the pier, there were thousands of people (little did we know there was a firework show over the water that night.) As we walked to the end of the pier, JD continued to point out how busy it was but I didn’t think anything of it. When we got to the end of the pier, JD noticed a spot off to the side that was not nearly as crowded and we walked that way. When we got to the spot that JD pointed out, we stopped to enjoy the view. I could not get over the beauty of the sun setting over the city skyline. We took in the views for a few moments and then suddenly JD looked at me and said, “I can’t believe we’ve been together for 5 years.” At that moment, I knew. JD got down on one knee and as the sun set over the city, our five years together turned into forever.